In recent years, arcade-type video games have become increasingly popular. As a way to attract more attention and interest in a given video game, video game designers have endeavored to make the play of video games viewable to people in addition to the current players of the game. Indeed, it is well-known in the video game industry that the more people that can view what is going on with a particular video game, the more popular, and thus profitable, the game will be.
In attempting to make the play of video games viewable by people in addition to the current players of a video game, overhead monitors have been developed. Conventional overhead monitors are positioned on the video game above the current player of the game so that individuals not currently playing the video game who are standing behind the current player can see what is being presented on the player's monitor. In many conventional overhead monitors, both the player's monitor and the overhead monitor present exactly the same video output.
Subsequently, as an attempt to bring additional attention and interest to a given game, the overhead monitors were designed to periodically cycle through a pre-determined set of views. For example, in a race car game, the pre-determined views might include views from different drivers' cars, overhead views, etc. These overhead monitor displays routinely cycle through the pre-determined views without any regard to what is actually happening in the game. As such, the current overhead view might display a view where relatively little was happening at a time when a significant game event, such as a car crash, is happening elsewhere on the game and would be effectively illustrated by a different view.
Additionally, conventional overhead monitors produce a video display only. No audio presentation is associated with conventional overhead monitor video displays, rendering the displays significantly less interesting than the game being played. Hence, the failure to provide an audio element to the display for individuals not currently playing the game is a significant limitation of conventional overhead video game display systems.
Further, conventional race car video games have been designed for only one occupant within the game race car. It is common, however, in real professional race car racing to have a second individual, a crew member, in the stands to act as a "spotter" to provide the driver, via radio, with information regarding the other race cars and race conditions so as to permit the driver to focus his attention on operating the car. By failing to provide for a second occupant, or input from a second individual such as a spotter, conventional race car games are less competitive than they could be by providing for a spotter to sit with the driver in the game race car and to provide the game operator or the driver with important information regarding the other cars in the race and race conditions generally.
Moreover, conventional race car video games fail to provide the players with the ability to selectively choose between different views, such as side views, rear views, helicopter views, etc. without changing the driver's view, despite the fact that information from such views may be interesting and important to the race. Such conventional race car video games also fail to provide the players with an opportunity to access race statistics on their car and the other cars during a race. Such information can be extremely helpful in competing in a video game race. Accordingly, due to these limitations, conventional video games and particularly conventional race car games have proven to be inadequate in producing a complete simulation and display of an automobile race.